“One of the great strengths of being a standup comedian,” he says, “is that the person most likely to use things that will embarrass me, is me.” That’s self-reliance. And my kind of Judaism. Presented with Littlefield, the first in our series of Conversations with Comics.
The president and CEO of the New York Philharmonic describes their task: “It’s about the creation of those incredible moments that lead up to probably the most important moment in a concert, which is the silence before the first note.” Almost Zen. Presented with the Viñoly Foundation.
He is the author of From Ear to Ear: A Pianist’s Love Affair with Song and the co-founder and artistic director of the New York Festival of Song, esteemed for its rethinking of material, its surprising permutations and combinations—which makes it sound like a weapons lab, and it kind of is, culturally. Plus singer Nicoletta Berry and … Continue reading »
This authority on artist Frederic Church notes his confidence in America. “He’s saying we in the United States are worthy of occupying a place on the world stage.” Church died in 1900. He didn’t see what we’ve done to the place lately. Presented with the Hunter College Office of the Arts. Continue reading »
The head of Transportation Alternatives, an advocacy group for cyclists, pedestrians, and transit, says traveling by bus or subway is egalitarian, less polluting, and this: “A reading commute is one of the great luxuries of a city where you don’t have to drive.” The rolling reading-rooms of New York. Produced with P&T Knitwear. Continue reading »
If this historian could go back in time and attend any of Lincoln’s speeches, he’d pick the Cooper Union address rather than the one you’d think: “Why go to Gettysburg and stand around for hours for a two-and-a-half minute speech?” Plus Lincoln’s choice of weapons when challenged to a duel. Presented with Roosevelt House. Continue reading »
This social scientist and policy advisor finds hope in local resistance to data centers. “These are our neighbors saying we thought we had no power, but we know where AI sits in our lives, and we can say something about it.” I’m still uneasy about my toaster-oven. Presented with the Park Avenue Armory. Continue reading »
“Eye surgery now is so marvelous,” says this ophthalmologist. “I’m amazed.” At age 97, he’s one of the innovators who made it amazing, and he found time to go out for beers with Wernher von Braun and perform Shakespeare (not simultaneously). Produced with New York’s Amateur Comedy Club with the sponsorship of Thomas Campbell Jackson. Continue reading »
Gilbert Stuart’s portrait of George Washington does not convey his actual appearance, says the Jewish Museum’s director. “It’s the way Washington wanted to present himself.” The dubious task of the society painter, plus 3,500 years of Jewish life expressed as art. Listen quickly. Photo: Harry Wilks. Continue reading »
They note that the leaders of the Irish rebellion of 1916 “wrote plays and poems and were well known in Irish literary circles.” I’d be happy to have leaders who went to a play or read a poem. The curators of Risings: The Irish Literary Revival and the Making of a Nation, presented with the Grolier Club. Continue reading »
These historians note that our Revolutionary War was also a civil war. “In New York and Philadelphia and Charleston, it really was neighbor against neighbor, brother against brother.” Not what I learned in cold-war high school. But what is? Produced with the Gotham Center for New York City History, and without the Ultimate Fighting crowd. Continue reading »
A little sadness tints his exultant photographs of subway repair shops: “I’m one step ahead of the wrecking ball, whether it’s a factory that’s going to close or a process that’s going to change. It’s heart-breaking.” Presented with MTA Arts and Design and the New York Transit Museum. Continue reading »
When he asked Frederick Douglass to the White House, did he serve snacks? “We did offer some refreshments, perhaps tea and bread.” Tea and bread? Great Emancipator, chintzy host. A conversation with the 16th President, as portrayed by ChatGPT: call him AI-braham Lincoln. Continue reading »
From the day she was born, her father was determined to make her a musician: “When I was brought home, my father piped classical music throughout the house and in our bedrooms. All night. Newborns! We were newborns!” Today she’s a pediatrician. No no, a pianist. And a fine one. Presented with Yamaha Artist Services … Continue reading »